Anti-nuclear fasting continues in India

CHENNAI: The protest fast against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) continued for the 14th day Monday in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, an activist said.

“Around 400 people from Thomaiarpuram, Idinthakarai and Kudankulam participated in the fast,” S. Sivasubramanian, coordinator of the People’s Rights Movement, an organisation fighting for the plant’s closure, told IANS.

India’s nuclear power plant operator NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors with Russian technology and equipment in Koodankulam, around 650 km from here. The first unit is expected to go on stream in December. The project is estimated to cost around Rs.13,000 crore.

Villagers, who greeted the NPCIL officials with welcome arches and garlands years ago when they arrived to set up the plant, are now protesting against the project, claiming it will endanger their safety and harm the environment if there’s any nuclear accident.

NPCIL officials told IANS that status quo continues with minimum staff entering the project site to carry out the maintenance work at unit-I, which is ready for commissioning.

“The rains have flooded some of the tunnels dug for laying the cables and we are removing the water,” said an official, preferring anonymity.